One Merseyside hospital has urged people to stay away if their condition is not urgent.
Southport Hospital has released a warning to those who might be on their way to the Accident and Emergency Department as the Trust confirms that the department is under pressure, with patients facing a "very long wait" if they travel to the hospital in a non-urgent condition. The warning comes a week after an email was sent to staff confirming that the hospital was implementing the full-to-capacity protocol.
The email sent on Monday, July 25, blamed the heatwave for increased pressure on services, with the hospital now being forced to warn people of long waits. Posting on Facebook, the hospital said: "We remain extremely busy at Southport hospital today. You face a very long wait for A&E care if your condition is not urgent.
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"Help us and yourself by going to www.111.nhs.uk for medical advice."
The email sent to staff, which has been shared with the ECHO, said: "Both Southport and Ormskirk hospitals have been extremely busy since the end of last week and we expect them to remain so for some days to come.
"This morning we put in place our 'full to capacity' protocols, focusing extra staff capacity on discharges and creating flow out of ED. Many of the adult patients attending are acutely ill and have been quite rightly referred in, or brought here for the most appropriate care. However, the situation has been made worse by the exceptionally high number of inpatients who no longer need a hospital bed and last week's heatwave.
"I know community care capacity is an issue, but we need an extraordinary response ensuring we do all we can facilitating every potential discharge
"Whatever your team or role, every bed matters. Each patient safely discharged counts, and we all have a part to play."
The protocol suggests that when a patient needs to be admitted to an inpatient ward from the emergency department and the ward can't accommodate them due to a lack of available beds, the patient will be admitted to the next most appropriate bed,
Medical Director Dr Kate Clark said: “Like hospitals across the country, we continue to be very busy as a result of increased admissions following last week’s hot weather, increased number of Covid-19 infections and delays in discharging patients who no longer need an acute bed. I apologise for any delay patients may experience when attending our hospitals.
“The Trust implemented our full-to-capacity protocol this morning which means we are focussing all available staff on patient care. We are working with our system partners to support patients to be safely cared for in their own homes when they do not need acute medical intervention.”
People can help hospital staff by:
- Supporting the return home of patients and relatives who have completed their treatment and are ready to leave hospital. This will ensure there are beds available to support patients who need our care
- Consulting the NHS111 website first when you have an urgent health need. It will point you to the most appropriate health care service
- Staying hydrated and also continuing to practice good hand hygiene as this will help reduce the risk of spreading infections including Covid-19
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